MineA5 - Hardware and Software Guide
- Claire Delcourt
- 24 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Hardware Overview
Frontside
The MineA5 is an all-in-one streaming solution. It films, encodes, and transmits your video feed directly via 4G or Wi-Fi. It supports simultaneous local recording and live streaming, ensuring you always have a high-quality backup of your race saved to the SD card.
The two SMA connectors in the picture are specific to the MyRaces.Live kit and allows to connect different types of 4G antennas based on your needs (e.g., a compact interior antenna, or a high-gain roof-mounted antenna).
Each SMA connector corresponds to a different 4G interface: 4G-1 and 4G-2. These two 4G interfaces can be aggregated/bonded to maximize the upload bandwidth when streaming. Each 4G interface takes a nano-sized SIM card that can be inserted on the side (see "Side Ports" picture).
The camera features a 1/4'' threaded hole at the bottom for easy mounting. In the MyRaces.Live kit, a full rollbar mount kit is included. It consists of a B-size screw-on ball, a short double socket ar,m and a roll bar clamp.
The integrated microphone is located on top of the camera barrel (two small holes). Because engine noise and wind flow can saturate the integrated mic, we recommend using the external microphone with the provided foam cover. Place this microphone away from direct wind flow for the best audio quality.
Backside
On the back side of the camera, you'll find:
The power button to turn the camera on/off.
The record button to start/stop recording.
The touchscreen.
All the ports are located on the side of the camera, opposite to the SMA connectors.
Here are the most important ones...
The 4G-1 and 4G-2 slots
Insert Nano SIM cards here. You may use either slot for a single SIM setup.
Ensure the external antenna is connected to the corresponding SMA connector (e.g., SIM in Slot 1 requires Antenna on SMA-1).
Note: SMA-1 location depends on the model (can be at the top or at the bottom). To verify where SMA-1 is located, insert your SIM card into 4G-1, power on the device, and check whether the signal reception increases after connecting the antenna to the top SMA or to the bottom SMA.
The USB-C charging port
Charges the camera at 5V 2A.
A charging USB-C cable is provided with the camera.
Consider a hard-wiring to keep the camera charged for long races.
⚠️ POWER WARNING: Do not connect it to a power source higher than 12V (e.g., hardwiring directly to a car battery without a step-down converter), as this could damage the unit.
The TF/SD Card slot
Min Speed is 10MB/s
Min Speed when 4K recording is 30MB/s
FAT32 filesystem for < 64G cards
exFAT filesystem for > 64Gb cards
NTFS filesystem is NOT supported.
The external microphone port
Input for the foam-protected external microphone.
Note: Do not confuse this with the "Audio Out" port.
LED Status
The LEDs on the back left of the camera provide instant feedback on system status.
Indicator Issue | Potential Root Cause |
No Power or Charging Light | Is the camera powered on? Check battery charge and cable connections. |
4G Network Light Blinking | Is the antenna connected securely? Is your SIM card activated? Do you have enough signal reception at your location? |
Streaming Light Off or Solid | Did you forget to "Start Streaming" in the interface? |
Recording Light Off | Did you forget to press "Start Record" |
User interfaces
Touch Screen
The touchscreen interface allows you to manage all settings.
Top Status Bar: Displays hardware and network status.
Grey: No APN found.
Yellow: APN found, attempting connection.
Red: Connected to APN, no data yet.
Green: Connected with data service (Ready to Stream).
Audio Bars (Left): Visual feedback for audio levels. Tap the bars to access the Audio Mixer (enable/disable mics, adjust levels).
Cloud Icon (Right): Configure and Start/Stop your stream(s).
Gear Icon (Right): Access General Settings.
MLive App/Web Portal
One of the camera's best features is the ability to control all the settings and start streaming or recording remotely.
How it works:
MLive is developed by MineMedia and is available as a phone app or as a web portal.
Login: Use the username/password found on the grey sticker in your kit (no account creation needed).
Add Camera: Scan the QR code on the camera or enter the Serial Number.
Control: Once the camera is online, you can manage it from the pits or home.
PS: To have the Web Portal in English, click on the dropdown in the web portal form.
Streaming Channels
Channels: Local vs. Aggregated
Local Channel: Use this if you have a single SIM card.
Aggregated (Bonded) Channel: Use this if you have two SIM cards (e.g., Verizon + AT&T) and want to combine them for better stability.
The multiple channels allow you to configure and stream to multiple destinations simultaneously; however, this splits your bandwidth, therefore we recommend streaming to a single destination (e.g., MyRaces.Live) and using our cloud service to restream to other YouTube/Twitch/Facebook accounts if desired.
Click on the Gear Icon to configure the channel with a streaming destination. You can either enter the information manually (streaming URL and code) or, you can scan the MyRaces.Live generated QRCode to fill in the information automatically.
Click on "Start Streaming" and "Stop Streaming" to start/stop streaming on a give channel.
Streaming and Recording Settings
Resolution & Bitrate Guide
Where to change settings:
On Camera Touchscreen: General Settings > Venc
On MLive App: More Settings > Video and Audio Settings > Live Stream
We ship cameras pre-configured with our recommended streaming settings: 720p / 30fps / 2500Kbps. If you have a strong connection at the racetrack, you can increase the resolution and FPS (for example, to 1080p and 60FPS). Likewise, if you have a bad connection at the track, consider reducing the resolution and FPS (480P and 30FPS).
Whenever changing the resolution and FPS, remember to:
Adjust the bitrate accordingly (see table below)
Schedule a MyRacesLive Stream Event with the same resolution or higher (see picture below)
Resolution & FPS | Recommended Bitrate |
1080p 60fps | 5000 Kbps |
1080p 30fps | 4000 Kbps |
720p 60fps | 4000 Kbps |
720p 30fps | 2500 Kbps |
480p 30fps | 2000 Kbps |
360p 30fps | 1000 Kbps |
MyRacesLive Stream Event>Camera>Advanced Settings
Note that your streaming resolution can be different than your recording resolution.
You can stream at 720p, and decide to record your video locally at 1080p.
To set a resolution for recording:
On Camera Touchscreen: General Settings>Camera.
On MLive App: More Settings > Video and Audio Settings > Live Stream
Image Zoom, Flip, and Contrast
Some camera image settings are common to both streaming and recording and are located here:
On Camera Touchscreen: General Settings>Camera.
On MLive App: More Settings > Video and Audio Settings > Live Stream
Camera Zoom
If you cannot mount the camera close enough to the windshield, but you'd still want to see more of the track, you can try using the Zoom 1X. Use Zoom with caution because it reduces the video quality.
Video Flipping
Use the video flip option to flip the image when mounting the camera upside down.
Video Brightness/Contrast/Hue/Chrome
We recommend leaving these settings with their default values.
Adjust the contrast down when there's too much contrast between the inside of the car and the outside the car, making the outside "too bright".
Adjust the contrast up during the night.
What you see | What you should do |
The outside is "too bright"  | Decrease Contrast |
Everything is "too dark" (nighttime)  | Increase contrast |
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